Multimedia: Habs’ Price, Diaz in all-star action

Canadiens goalie Carey Price, wearing a microphone inside his mask to the delight of television viewers, and defenceman Raphael Diaz dipped their toes into all-star action Saturday at Scotiabank Place.

We’ll add more images to this post Sunday.

Thanks to Heather Engel for sending along the audio. Follow Heather on Twitter at @engelheather

Carey Price is introduced for the start of the evening’s events.Dave Sandford, NHLI via Getty Images

249 Comments

If you’re an Edmonton Oilers fan, forget that chatter about wildcat defenceman P.K. Subban being available from the Montreal Canadiens. It’s not going to happen. True, he seems to be in the doghouse on a lot of nights for his on-ice behaviour (ill-timed penalties, some giveaways), but that’s just a sign of immaturity. He’s too good with the puck, and part of the plans going forward.

“I really like P.K.” said former Habs assistant coach Perry Pearn, who looked after the blue-liners and now scouts for the Canadiens.

“When he’s sharp, most of the stuff he does is positive. You see it with a lot of young defencemen around the league … (Tyler) Myers, (Michael) Del Zotto, the growing pains are fairly significant with these sort of players. In P.K.’s case, we came into the season with injuries, too (Andrei Markov, Chris Campoli) and there was no room to back him off. We had to play him too much. He had an injury (back) which set back his training, as well.”

Pearn sees Subban as a 45-point defenceman who can pound the puck from the point. That’s something the Oilers could certainly use more of. But trade him? He’s a wild colt, who just needs some taming. The Canadiens coaches have had a running dialogue on the bench with him; the TV cameras are always finding that. But that’s his personality; it’s not that they don’t like him.

“It’s because he’s hyperactive. You have to be talking to him, or he’d be jumping over the boards for somebody else on a change,” said Pearn. “He took a penalty in the playoffs last year against Boston at a fairly crucial time, but I was responsible for changing the defence. That was my fault. We’d lost (James) Wisniewski to an injury and were down to five defencemen. I wanted to put (Jaroslav) Spacek and (Hal) Gill on, but P.K. had played with Gill and jumped on. I had my hand on his back and so did Jaro, but we couldn’t stop him.”

In some ways, Subban is like Brent Burns with the San Jose Sharks. Burns does a ton of good things with the puck, but every now and then he forces the issue and is up the ice and gets caught. Opposing players chafe at some the stuff Subban does, but that’s who he is. He looks for attention, which annoys people.

The fact is, he can play.

Any time you trade a young defenceman you risk a big mistake. Ask the Habs if they’d like Ryan McDonagh back after they included him in a package to the New York Rangers to get Scott Gomez.

Dan Boyle had talent but was deemed too small when the Florida Panthers had him a dozen years ago, and moved him to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a fifth-round draft pick. Has anybody ever heard of Martin Tuma (the selection) since then?

“When I was coaching in Montreal, I had plenty of confidence in P.K.,” said Pearn.

Thomas in The ASG instead of starting the game like he should (since he was voted in) he took the third period so he had a chance of being the winning goalie which he ended up being so he could have the record of 4 straight wins in The ASG & ASG do not mean much to the players etc…….lol

I appreciate that he’s throwing in the line about ‘both parties’ being responsible for this mess… and to that point I would have to agree.

Of course I’d like to remind Timmah that I never heard a peep from him during Bush’s 8 years and that it’s awfully convenient and quite late in the game to have a go at the latest White House incumbent. But I guess it’s better late than never…

I’d love to know who he voted for in the last 3 elections. It would really help clarify if he’s got a leg to stand on. I mean if he voted for Bush and then voted for him again… that would pretty make his protest gesture kinda lame…

Not only is Drake a lame entertainer, he can’t rap either. I am a big hip hop head, and I would know it. He raps only about cars and degrades women, which is not hip hop. Instead of making hip hop an art that it should be, he gives it a bad name… Seeing these players take pictures with him…… So sad. I would never shake his hand..

Didn’t see the game, laughed when I saw Drake there. Should of gotten Ghettosocks, Ottawa native and now supreme Halifax based Canadian MC, to perform if they wanted to go that way. Or should have had Drakester in his Jimmy wheelchair doing wheely spins…

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Dear Mtl Canadiens,
Please beat Boston to tie the season series. You are about to cost me three bottles of rum in a little over a year.
Love,
Michael

right now i wonder what the vote would be if nhl gms were asked thomas or price for game 7 of the final..today i believe you would have to take thomas….but the potential for price can be tremendous based on his age and experience he has obtained so far…

An idea to make the ASG a little more meaningful and interesting; Why not go back to the old east vs west format but have the winning conference get home ice advantage during the final series of the playoffs?

Baseball does that, and I find it a miserable way to inject some tension into the game. The all-star game shouldn’t, in my opinion, have any impact on how the real games are played.

You’re not gonna turn the all-star game into a gritty, grinding game, because teams and players don’t want to risk injury. So you’re gonna put what could be a serious advantage on the back of a laid-back game of professional shinny?

All you clowns (deleted) on Subban and blaming him for all that has gone wrong might want to take a look at some of the veterans before you pass judgment on a 22yr old second year D man who averages 23 minutes of ice time, kills penalties and is our only mobile defender who can move the puck out of our zone.Some of you actually want him traded. You people are blind! He’s just a kid who is going to make mistakes because he is relied on so much and gets to pucks others can’t even dream of getting to. The coaching staff, beginning with former coach JM reigned him in and was trying to change him, Cunnyworth is stuck on doing the same thing. Why don’t they just take the stick out of his hands or if he wants to go all the time, put him on the wing for a game. They do it with Weber and PK is ten times the player Weber ever thought of being. Maybe the management and some of you experts should look at the vets like Hal Gill,Plekanec,Gomez…ha and Kostitsyn for starters before they continually (deleted) on PK’s plate. His plus/minus is 0….check out Gill & Plekanec in that category and see for yourself. they are liabilities on the backend and I don’t care that 14 kills penalties. Moan,Bourque and DD are just as good…PK is gonna be a great player somewhere in this league and I for one hope it is with the Habs….(deleted)….figures and fact don’t lie….

take your drink to the end of the bar buddy…come on now, don’t be a fool…

I don’t think people are complaining about his stats or playing as much as the attitude… Turtling, picking fights with the veterans every week in practice, etc.
But ya I agree… He should not be traded. He just needs someone to help him realize that that kind of attitude wont get you far in the NHL.

I agree he ought not to be doing the dive thing, he has let up on the a little, he’s not Claude Lemieux or anything close to that, he’s not a fighter, so he isn’t going to stand there and take a beating either.He’s still somewhat immature and needs to grow up a little I agree, but when some slug wants to take liberties with him that’s when a tough guy would be great to have on this team to take care of that shit. Anyway, PK is a good kid and I think he’s a marked man and people need to lighten up a bit on him…\/

take your drink to the end of the bar buddy…come on now, don’t be a fool…

just wanted to say something about the Tim Thomas situation. Where were his politics two years ago when he put the USA jersey on and played, proudly, for the Olympic hockey team? Things were no different then than they are now, yet he could put his politics aside and play for his country. Little bit of hyporcrisy there.

Yeah, some people say that. And I don’t like to be in the position of defending Tim Thomas, but I don’t agree that it’s the same. He may love his country, but not the government. In fact, that’s how a lot of people feel. Country is one thing. Government another. Does everyone who protests hate their country? Nope.

The only argument that I get is that he let his team down. And to whatever extent that’s true (I think it’s ridiculous but…) he’s paying the price. So it should be end of story. Not our business. It’s Thomas’s business – and the Bruins.

Tea Bag Floppy is pathetic. He should have said” I don’t agree with the way President Obama is running this country but I am going to the Whitehouse to support my team, not to support President Obama” That would have been the proper thing to say!

He is protesting the insane laws being created by two successive governments, one republican, one democrat, both global elite controlled. He is doing that BECAUSE he loves his country. If the rest of America pulled their heads out of their nether regions long enough to be enraged they might be able to take back their country before it’s too late. America used to be a land that honoured people who took a stand for something meaningful. Now we shoot our mouths off at them?!! People wake up! My respect for Tim Thomas increased by leaps and bounds last week and yours should have too!

So you’re an idiot too. Nice of you to self-identify. What he did was rude and disrespectful of his teammates. I doubt anyone other then Tim Thomas gives a crap what Tim Thomas thinks about the government. Do you think Obama even noticed?

Like the USA quietly signing Russians to the other sports teams in the Olympics behind the scenes for the Olympics? Or Americans joining other countries? While there may not be national American govt. money spent on the Olympics they sure bend over backwards to fast track foreigners to improve their sports teams….. stop this tea party hypocrisy! Bigots are bigots regardless of which party they claim to be under. Hello you now live in a Tea Party Country, Stephen Harper is a big fan of the American Tea Party…..

Tim Thomas blamed all levels of government, and both political parties. The media tagged him as a tea nagger. Read what he said or stfu. You are all putting words in his mouth, just like the media has. It’s been spun out of control. Screw the president. I wouldn’t want to meet him. Same with Harper. Meeting the president is not in his contract. He was the only American on the bruins, so he hung no one out to dry. It’s his politics. Not charas (Slovakian) not dr recchis (Canadian) not kaberles (check). This is none of our business, so drop the topic.

It was a classless move pure and simple. He may not agree with the president’s politics or the political system but out of RESPECT you show up. He’s a Conn Smyth winner and a huge member of that band of goons he should have been there. By not being there his no show over shadowed the team’s visit to the white house.

I think he doesn’t respect the government so he didn’t show up.
I wouldn’t show up to shake Harper’s hand if he invited me.
I don’t respect him and wouldn’t want to give him the opportunity to use my handshaking to boost his image.

That’s BS. If a guy doesn’t stand up for his beliefs on the biggest stage of all, how could he look at himself in the mirror? He stayed true to himself, and my level of respect for the guy went way up.

Civilized people have manners. Smart people recognize when it’s not about them. Thomas apparently is neither. So, apparently are you. Odds are there is a reason that you’re not getting invited to shake the PM’s hand, ever!

Watched abit of the first.
Waw this event is for the fans, it seems,
1. they’ve all gon mute.
2. They lost interest in the game and are going to take a nice nap in there seats.
Waw really no atmosphere!

One thing you have to give the Habs, they have been very generous with Markov, in terms of healing time and contract. It sure seems like this team does the right thing and stands by its players. I dont think many people understand, that even without a new contract, he would have received money under his old one.

How is handicapping the team by signing an injured player to a 3-year contract that pays nearly $6M per season doing “the right thing”? It’s a nice gesture based on the level of respect they have for Markov, sure, but in no way, shape, or form was that contract the right thing to do in assembling a team to compete for the Stanley Cup.

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GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez, a potential Hall of Fame player, has two Stanley Cup rings and a Calder Trophy that says ‘I’m a player whom any authentic NHL coach will rely on to fix a game problem.’” – VancouverHab

His new contract has hurt the club, so I respect what you say. I am just saying that they are standing by a player who has given good service, and even if it hurts the Habs did the right thing. I also like the way Gorges case was handled, and after he signed his contract, the Molson family were the first to be thanked, so I would assume the family was very involved.

this allstar games boring because it means nothing. they should go back to eastern conf vs west, the winning conf 9th place team at seasons end should get a bonus 3 pts. then that maybe enough for a team to get into the playoffs. then we’d see an allstar game with meaning .

———————–
GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez, a potential Hall of Fame player, has two Stanley Cup rings and a Calder Trophy that says ‘I’m a player whom any authentic NHL coach will rely on to fix a game problem.’” – VancouverHab

I find that both TSN and HNIC have really scaled back on their perceived Leaf love in the last two years or so…

The annoying thing on HNIC is PJ Stock goes out of his way to slam the Habs and he’s the supposed ‘Montreal’ guy.

As Burke vs. Cherry, I’ll side with Grapes if he’s taking shots at the TML and Wilson, gotta love that! Burke should just resign and go back to invisible hockey markets like Anaheim if he doesn’t like the heat of being in a Canadian city, this guy’s a miserable SOB at the best of times…

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Jack Edwards is a clam, Bruins are pukes.

Tim Thomas was wrong… Although you have free speech it doesn’t give the right to embarrass the President of the US. The Tea Party in the US are sick right wing bigots that expect the government to go back to the stone age. The Tea Party Would not exist only for a black President.To be part of that group says a lot about Thomas and lowers my opinion of him.

Price is here, he goes by Shiloh. Didn’t his self deprecating sense of humour give it away? Come on, you weren’t fooled were you? No one could really say all that nonsense all the time seriously and actually mean it.

Thomas to Chicago sounds like something someone in Chicago dreamed up. Do you really trade your Conn Smythe trophy winning goalie when you want to repeat … even if he took a dump on the White House lawn?

But nice to have a goalie like Price who can be so successfully miked by CBC during the yawn-fest that is the shootout. He was funny, respectful, playful and a 100% All Star. Kudos to him.

FYI: Sportsnet nor TSN have yet to report on the Burke/ Cherry feud. The NHL should never have allowed these 2 Canadian media giants to share ownership of the leafs. It’s up to the rest of Canada’s media outlets to report on the true goings on in leaf nation. It’s a sad time for Canada and the NHL. The worst aspect is the Toronto’s media attack on the Habs, everything 2nd thing you read or see on t.v. is anti Hab.

I’d like to say this is paranoia but it’s sadly true. I still remember the night I realized this. I watching the TSN sports summaries about five years back to see the highlights of a Habs game and there were THREE items on the Leafs, ALL of them longer than the 20-second Habs game summary. And the kicker. the Leafs didn’t even play the night before. Not kidding THREE Leafs features on one show. Ridiculous. That’s probably more features than the Habs get in a year.
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Listen to the Smart Dog. He knows his poop!

Watched most of the All Star stuff yesterday.
– THE SHOOTOUT… ZZZZZZ…. Gotta say though I respect how hard it is to skate and do fancy stuff at the same time, the lack of imagination from these guys kills me. Bravo to those who tried ACTUAL trick shots but I mean, Ovie won the competition by wearing a funny hat with two sticks, Kane won it be sliding on the ice in a cape. Not impressive.
– PRICE’s NEW STYLE. Price tried to make it fun in the shoot-out, moreso than most of the shooters. But the really important news is he’s learned how to stop shooters – blind, with his ass. Whatever works. I hope he does that for real.
– TEAM GOON. I knew team Chara would lose at skills… Alfie’s team has more skilled players. But Chara won the hardest shot, and I hear he also took the title (not televised) for Dwarf Tossing and Breaking Stuff with Your Hands.
– THOMAS A HAWK? This is the rumour on TSN and elsewhere. I’m sure Chicago would love Thomas! A great city! And, hey – isn’t that where the current President is from?
– DIAZ COOL, BUT PK WOULD BE FUN. Diaz handled himself well. Was slick as can be around the cones in the skating skill drill. I’m sad PK wasn’t there though, just to see him fire one-timer’s at the net while everyone around him ducked.
– PRICE & THOMAS. We already knew that Price liked Thomas – they’ve been chummy at other All Star week-ends. So what? 1-on-1 Thomas seems like a good dude, if also a redneck, and Carey is a bit redneck himself. Can you say “rodeo”? And Carey is right – it’s the media that’s made this Thomas thing an unforgettable issue. They should STFU about it.

prices backwards save was too funny.like to see him try that in a shootout, not. don jackazz cherry told spezza to shoot more, now spezza is scoring more, gomez should do the same, why does gomez find it necessary to be mr.passer set up man only. shoot the bloody puck on net gomez. chez paris helped us crush the wings im sure, wings were in mtl 2 days before. regardless we put on the afterburners and scored 7. its going to be a scoreboard watching few months as i follow habs but cheer for others to lose as well. the equipment needs revamping to prevent injuries, PUT PADING ON THE ELBOW AND SHOULDER PADS to start, invent a hockey looking style helmut with air pumped in like the nfl.

@HabsHampton, you mentioned earlier about the Pens’ medical staff missing the boat in letting Letang come back to finish the game against the Habs before being put on injury reserve.
RDS were interviewing him last night and he stated that it was the Habs’ medical staff (He couldn’t remember the name of the doctor) who examined him, ran a series of tests and determined that he was fine to return, and didn’t appear concussed.
He explained that he felt fine that night, probably due to adrenaline, and that the symptoms only occurred later.

I don’t think it’s a question of firing the medical professional.
Standard practice should be..
you get hit in the head, you are automatically out until the next game, at the very least.
That way, if the symptoms show up later, well you’ve taken the necessary precautions.

Hmmm… “Couldn’t remember the name of the doctor”? Isn’t that part of the baseline testing, right after “how many fingers am I holding up?” 😉 If he ends up with long term issues, I’m his lawyer will remember the name of the doctor.

We’re starting to hear more careful, almost legal language from Crosby’s agent, indicating that perhaps the Crosby camp is going to call into question league protocols and culture regarding injuries.

Could we be witnessing a turning point for the NHL in terms of finally acknowledging the devastating effects of some injuries? Is this when the NHL finally brings all of its medical staff up to speed on objective injury assessment? Is this when it stops being considered “tough” to go back out after getting hit in the head?

I am not saying it will happen, but what do you think the Pens would ask for in a trade for the damaged Crosby?
If you were the Habs, would you get in on the action or say no thanks, Markov is one thin foil man too many?

I say at this point Crosby’s value is nothing more than a 1st rounder and maybe a prospect…

@ed .. Interesting. One could also interpret Carey as implying that he supports Thomas in choosing whatever he wants to believe in, even if his views go against his (Carey’s or whoever’s) belief system…. I didn’t see or read his interview so Im just going with what you quoted.

I agree with you Upmann. He’s saying he’s “Tim’s side” – no matter what his stance, because he’s a guy standing up for his convictions. In earlier interviews that’s what Price said – he said something like good for him for standing up for what he believes in… and added ‘if it was me I’d be there with bell’s on’. So clearly he does NOT agree but he thinks it’s a positive when people stand up for their beliefs even if it’s not popular (or especially). And I agree here. All the media guys and former players saying he’s letting his team down etc. I think is a lot of bullshit. And our boy Price is 100% right, not the media has-beens and never-weres.

While detroit may not have been at their best watching ak46 just left me frustrated again…when he plays well he looks fantastic a 35/35 producer….but he shows up 3/10 games in a season…now he may become a 35/35 producer but probably not with the habs…the question is how much do we pay for a 20/25 producer who has a tendency to disappear in big games and the playoffs…

I think you are completely mistaken. How can Price “declare that he agrees with Thomas’ political opinions,” when he says, “if it was a different opinion I would still be on his side”? It seems to me, anyway, that Price is merely stating that whatever Thomas’ opinions – left or right– Price would defend Thomas’ right to express those opinions.

That’s exactly what I got out of it too. I have no idea what quote you are reading Ed, but read it more carefully. He’s obviously supporting the idea of expressing his opinion. He also said this the day it happened.

We need to start a sign Morgan Ellis campagne toute suit. Has anyone checked this kid out because he’s unreal. He’s outplaying Beaulieu big time. Could be our best defensive prospect of all. Also Darren Dietz playing for the Blades is a close second on my list.

Agree on Dietz,I think he may turn out to be a real steal for a 5th rounder. Habs don’t need to sign a guy like Ellis until just before the rights run out which would be just before this coming draft I believe. Pointless to sign him now then lose a year on the entry level deal. Habs cannot lose his rights. Good to see him playing so well, though. With the Habs having so many good d-men playing jr and NCAA right now it opens an opprotunity to trade 1-2 for a better pick this year or trade down for more picks since most of the top-ranked prospects are d-men

No question that Price is funny. While I’m sure no disrespect was intended…did anyone else see his “blind man” schtick when one of the shooters completely shanked their shootout attempt? A spur of the moment thing where he covered his face with his trapper and turned his stick upside down and started tapping it like a white cane. I guess he was figuring even a blind man could stop such a lame attempt.

“Hopefully we’ll see next week as to where he is and we’ll get the reports from California and compare notes to what’s been done so far,” Shero said. “We want to continue to look to see how we can get thus under control and manageable so he can return to play.

“He’s not going to (play) until those symptoms resolve. Hopefully have him back at some point here soon,” Shero continued. “Let’s just see what happens this week once we get some more information from his trip to California. I’m optimistic he’s going to play.”

Man, they just don’t get it. This kids entire life is in jeopardy here, and the entire focus is on when he’ll be back in the lineup. The Pens, NHL and NHLPA have a LOT to learn. The players are not just comodities. They’re human beings first!

Lost in the Crosby debacle around how the team and medical staff handled him for the last 13 months, is how they handled Letang. He was obviously concussed by Patches, and then came back and played the rest of the game before getting officially diagnosed and treated. I wouldn’t let these clowns look after my dog!

True that Letang shoudn’t have played the remainder of the game however there you can not say that he was obviously concussed consider that most symptoms do not show up for two-three days. So if a player passes the intitial examination, and says he’s good to go, then guess what he’s gonna play.

Until they make it a rule that a player can’t play hockey for two to three days after heavy hit to the body, then the medical staff has their hands tied.

True, I guess it wasn’t obvious, but in light of what is going on the league now, I would at least call them negligent, and they are taking HUGE risk putting him back out there. Wait until the first lawsuit comes (its just a matter of time). You can bet the teams’s, NHL, and medical staff will be named in the suit.

A few good moments yesterday. Not a great night not an awful night just ok.

I found that Carey was the man of the moment on the breakaway stint cause he decided to do the backward stop on the spur of the moment. We could hear his comments live on CBC and moments before he was wondering what to do. This part of the skills competition is already losing interest though.

Daytsuk the great was a real pleasure to see going around the cones. Diaz did more than ok also on the same exercicee. We tend to forget that those guys are real masters of their art.That mixed skills category is growing on me and is spectacular to watch.

For the same reasons that most of you do ,i hold grudges against Chara but just can`t put him in the unpleasant human being category and mostly do not see myself in front of his slap shot whatever the price you pay me !

If you look at the pending UFA list for forwards next year, I did not see anyone that represented better value than AK for around the $3.5-$4M/ year. The only guy in the system who could replace him is Avtsin or maybe Palushaj, so I guess an argument could be made for that if the extra cap space was needed to sign a stud defensemen. But if the suggestion is to replace AK with a different UFA at the same cost, I would love to hear suggestions of who the Habs should sign instead.

Many fans have talked about trading AK, also many fans say not to trade him.
I don’t really understand why some fans would want to trade him.
Lets say we trade him and get a pick,
How do we know if the pick will even play in the NHL?
I’d rather have AK showing up for 60-65 games and score 20 or more goals, rather than a maybe hopeful pick.
AK said that he wants to stay in Montreal, if he didn’t want, then trade him, but he wants to stay in Montreal, that doesn’t mean he’s gona walk away, unless, of corse he goes back on his word.
Sign him for three years.
If you get a chance sign moen also .
Let me know what you guys think.

I can’t see anyone giving AK 5M. He tops out at a max of 4.2 or so I figure and he’s indicated he’ll take a little less than max to stay here. If he can be signed for 3.7 or so, there’s no way I let him leave town. If he demands 4 or above, I begin considering having to let him go.

I’d honestly rather have AK. He’s a known quantity for us at this point. He’s a little streaky yes, but a lot of these type of guys are. If AK were to be traded, this place would be clamouring for a 20 goal guy with good size, speed & hands that isn’t afraid to hit which is exactly what AK is. Same goes for Moen. If he can’t be signed (and he is having a career season so I wouldn’t blame him for testing the market) then get a pick for him, but don’t trade him just because you want a pick. He’s a very good, tough 3rd line guy with decent size a SC ring, who can play in the top 6 when injuries dictate & very good on the PK. The type of guy the commentariat would be demanding the team acquire when he’s gone.

AK is a player due for a change. He is not worth $4mill to the Habs. This guy is so talented. If he could be consistent he would be a 55-60 point guy every year and worth the aforementioned tyoe of money. He would do well with a a team like Detroit. I have no doubt that should he go the UFA route, he will do well both financially and with his production. I believe he will be traded at the end of month or earlier depending on where we are in the standings for a 2nd round pick and a later pick as well.

Laich have a similar season than AK, 3 seasons of 20 goals or more, and 2 years older than AK. And he’s averaging more than 3 minutes of ice time per game more than AK.

Kunitz, very similar to AK, many seasons of 40-50 points, 3 seasons of 20 goals or more, hit a bit more than AK. He’s having a very good season, but note that he played 3:40/Game on PP and 18min/game… while AK only have 2:00/g on PP and 16m/game. Plus, Kunitz plays with Malkin…

Hartnell.. before this season, Hartnell was very comparable to AK. But again, he’s averaging 3:12/g on PP an 17:46/g.. and he’s currently playing with Giroux..

Kesler.. Almost 4min on PP every game, 20 minutes on ice every game.. and only 2 more goals than AK… Oh and I forgot… He plays on PP with both Sedin.. He currently have 10 more points than AK on PP… remove that and AK have only 1 point less than Kesler with 39 games played vs 44. Kesler is paid 5 millions..

Pavelski, very good signature at 4m by the Sharks. Was very comparable to AK before last year season.. But can’t compare with AK this season, the guy is playing almost 21min per game, at this point it’s 25% more than AK.. the guy have to produce when you pass 1/3 of the game on the Ice.

Bergeron at 5 is a very good deal, I would also take Bergeron over AK anytime because of his smartplay, always giving is 110% and play very well in defence.

So again… considering Bergeron, Kesler are paid 5m$, Hartnell 4.2, Laich 4.5, Pavelski 4 and Kunitz 3.75… AK between 3.5 and 4m would be a good deal, as long as you don’t expect him to get 65 pts when the coach give him poor ice time.

I’d like for them to keep both as well. Both are in the image that most people feel the habs need – big and tough.

However It all depends on the return. AK is worth a lot more than picks. Moen is a little trickier – his value right now is really high for what he brings to the table. If he can net a huge return I’d consider it. Also while AK has suggested he wants to stick around after the season is over what about Moen – it would suck for him to just walk away.

doesnt make sense to pay a third line player [who doesnt play either special teams] in excess of 3.5 million.

with that being said, i would love to know what AK is worth at the deadline. gotta figure some team will be dumb enough to consider AK a top 6. cant imagine him worth a 1st but anything is possible at the trade deadline.

unfortunately, now that i think about it, PG will make a dumb, panic move with AK well before feb 27th and land a solid 2nd rounder.

Is Sid the kid coming to Montreal. What I know of of Sidney’s dad and yes I have meet him many times and talked hockey with him. He has to be absolutely out of him mind with anger. Sid always had a dream to play for the Habs. Is this the window that allows him the excuse to leave Pittsburg. He been the good NHL soldier for Bettman and truefully I don’t think he been treated very well by the NHL. Now the doctors in Pittsburg has let him down and could have ended his career. Now you don’t think this can happen remember a fellow named Eric Lindros.

I think that the only time Sid will be coming to Montreal will be for promotional tours. Due to the brutal mismanagement of his health by the Penguins’ medical staff his long-term prospects of playing hockey have been severely restricted.

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GO HABS GO! 2011-12 is probably not our year!
“Scott Gomez, a potential Hall of Fame player, has two Stanley Cup rings and a Calder Trophy that says ‘I’m a player whom any authentic NHL coach will rely on to fix a game problem.’” – VancouverHab

Chara! I was hoping he would break his stick or his head, but alas!
his stick is so long, it is like a rubber band or sling shot. Kind of unfair me thinks. There is about a 2 foot bend and recoil effect.

I took in the Vancouver All Star Game years ago (I believe 1998)..it was a lot of fun, and a really good experience. It was the first year that they had the North America vs. The World format, which made it interesting for one of the rare occasions. And the game was even good – an 8-7 win for North America.
A few players stood out to me at that game;
1) Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu were an awesome line – magic together.
2) Ed Belfour was a really nice guy, and made sure to sign all the autographs for the kids (and the adults like me)
3) Jaromir Jagr was kind of a dick – I saw this starry-eyed little boy of maybe 6 or 7 ask Jagr for an autograph, and he just pushed by him without even so much as a smile and walked away. (This was outside, and no crowd there at all – maybe only 5 or 6 people).
4) Patrick Roy and Chris Chelios were playing, representing the WRONG teams.

Lots of legends at that game if you care to look up the lineup, some notables being Gretzky, Messier, Borque (Ray), and Sakic, along with the ones I mentioned above. Some serious hall of fame talent there…

Gerald! his career is over,! very sad, but that is what happens to the brain when concussed before the first concussion clears of calcium. The calcium solidifies killing all the cells that were damaged. The firing and connection of now different brain cells, change the way one operates, you can never be the same as before.

Ian, you’ve been very consistent with your prognosis but I keep hoping for a miracle of sorts. Its such a sad thing to lose this generations star player. More needs to be done to protect players. It seems this league is doing the exact opposite seemingly rewarding the Bruins and their cheap, illegal, and dangerous style.

James! if they do not go back to the safer style and slow up the game somewhat, hockey as we knew it will be over for us. This after all is a game, not a killing field for blood thirsty fans and money hungry business thugs.

Will be very interesting to watch the Crosby story develop. There are reports that Crosby and his “camp” are very frustrated with how the doctors etc.. have been treating him, and that it required him going and finding his own doctors to get better diagnosis.

Given the circumstances of his concussion from the Steckel hit, then still not being sat and having the hit from Hedman, from the outside one would think he has reason for being frustrated.

Given he has 1 year remaining on his contract after this current season, his contract negotiations will be curious indeed.

Hopefully the kid can resume his career, but part of me wonders if he isn’t chasing an answer that may never come. It isn’t the same, but I know when my father was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) he and our family did find ourselves wanting to find an answer or cure that just wasn’t there.

Good morning Gerald. Many people thought when Sid was drafted that he would change the game. Sadly it looks like he will but not in the way many of us assumed. It always amazes me how “dumb” smart people can be. Here you have a billion dollar asset and you miss such a significant injury. I’ve seen that often with the NY Met medical staff over the past few years and always thought it was just disfuncion. Maybe its greed. Maybe wanting to push their assets out on the playing field (ice) for profits they’ve put their greatest assets at risk. Like horse racing trainers, shoot em up and get them back out there. I don’t know what the answer is but I think it has to come from the players and their Union. It appears owners cannot be trusted in protecting their own assets. It is a sad time indeed.

Good Morning Jim, yah it seems that teams short team needs can often supercede their long term needs. I don’t mean to beat a dead horse on this specific topic, but it just doesn’t seem to me that the Pittsburgh organization has learned much from the Crosby scenario given how Kris Letang was handled. The hit from Max Pac was clearly devastating yet he was back in the that game for OT. Sure he may have seemed aware in the dressing room, but was 2 points in that game really worth that much more than the single point they had already assured themselves? (Given the long term value Letang provides that franchise)

Our team has shown equal recklessness I feel, in how Jeff Halpern was handled. The Ferrence shot to the head he received was a typical headshot which often leads to concussion. Yet he too was back very soon after. Granted it was playoffs, but does that mean jeopardize players safety as it relates to brain. I believe it was revealed after the fact he did indeed suffer a concussion. In fact it is my own twisted view that a big reason PG may not have resigned him, is he may have felt at Halpern’s age and having suffered that concussion that perhaps he didn’t want to gamble on Halpern’s health.

I guess when we hear players say it’s a business, it really is. It is for this reason that we as fans can’t blame players for getting all the money they can when given the opportunity. We still watch the game with passion as fans, the players play that way, but negotiate as businessmen looking for the best transaction possible.

I’ve got way better photos of these guys lighting up downtown ottawa (more so Price than Diaz, although Diaz is a very polite guy worth taking a shot or two with), but I promised them I wouldn’t put the photos online.

It’s interesting that a goalie almost stole the show in the breakaway competition at least until Kane and Perry brought out the props. Even though the All Star weekend is meaningless, I’m glad Price is on the Habs.